#farmerprotest2024

With farmer’s protest 2.0, experts and public are forced to think why is it that farmers in the North, especially Punjab, Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh are disgruntled with the government policies unlike their southern farmer community? For, the policies remain the same across the country. So is the protest politically motivated or there is some other hidden agenda?

Thousands of farmers on tractors and trucks are marching towards the Indian capital, New Delhi, to push the government to address their demands, including guaranteed prices for their produce. They are demanding legal guarantees of a minimum support price (MSP), which acts as a safety net for the farming community; waivers of farm loans; and a rollback of policies they say hurt farmers. Other demands include better sugar cane prices, a pension of Rs 10,000 a month for every farmer above 60 years of age, stronger action against the accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident and grant of land in Delhi for a memorial for the “martyrs” of the earlier farmers protest. Farmers are agitating against the planned privatisation of the electricity sector. State governments currently provide subsidised electricity to farmers, which helps bring input costs down.

The march comes months before a general election, which the BJP is expected to win. Since the farmers comprise two-thirds of India’s 1.4 billion people, accounting for nearly a fifth of the country’s gross domestic product, according to government figures. Hence, farmers form an influential voting bloc, and parties try to gain their support. As it seeks the farmers’ votes, the Modi government recently conferred the nation’s highest civilian honour  Bharat Ratna on former Prime Minister and agriculture leader Chaudhury Charan Singh and MS Swaminathan, a pioneer of the agricultural revolution in the 1960s and ’70s.

However, this time little enthusiasm is shown by Khaps, the jat community organisations which had done massive mobilisation during earlier protests. Acting proactively, a government delegation has held negotiations with the protesting farmers, but the talks have not yielded results. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee are spearheading the protests. The organisers said more than 200 farm unions are participating in the March to Delhi.

Authorities too, are taking no chances and have banned large gatherings in Delhi and suspended internet services in several Haryana districts ahead of the March to Delhi, called by farmers from Punjab and Haryana along with several other northern states. Police in Haryana state, which borders Delhi, fired tear gas on farmers to prevent them from reaching the capital, which has been converted into a fortress, reviving memories of the 16-month-long agitation by the farmers two years ago. Multiple entry points to the capital have been sealed by erecting barriers of barbed wire, spikes and cement blocks.

Nevertheless, it’s the common man which suffers the most with such protest. Spending long hours in traffic jams, detouring to reach the destination on time and worse, the medical emergencies, all add up to the mental agony of the public. People are now questioning the rationale behind such mindless protest and why public has to suffer? Government needs to resolve the issue at lightening speed keeping in mind the elections, which are merely a month apart.

Though the farmer organisations are riven with factionalism, Khaps, the jat community organisations, have yet to warm up to the protests. Reportedly, two khaps have appealed to the farmers to not lay a siege to Delhi and talk to the government instead, since the earlier protest in 2020-2021 led to the massive losses and inconvenience to the people of border districts of Haryana, Punjab, leading to the closure of a large number of businesses and industry as well.

Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda said that the central government is ready to discuss all the issues raised by the Punjab farmers.He further invited the farmers for a fifth round of talks while urging them to find a solution through ‘dialogue’.

As per ANI report, “After the fourth round, the government is ready to discuss all the issues like MSP, crop diversification, stubble issue, FIR in the fifth round. I again invite the farmer leaders for discussion,” Arjun Munda said while speaking to ANI on February 21.

“I appeal to them to maintain peace and we should find a solution through dialogue,” he added. He said that the farmers have not responded to the invite yet while appealing to move forward with the talks.

“No information has come yet (from farmers’ side). We appeal that we should move forward for talks and present our stand. The government also wants to move forward and find a solution,” the Union Minister said.

Minister Munda is one among the team of union ministers holding talks with the farmer leaders, including Piyush Goyal and Nityanand Rai.

Earlier in the day, the general secretary of Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Sarwan Singh Pandher reiterated the demand for a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) and assured a peaceful approach going ahead.

The farmer leader said that as the ‘Dilli Chalo’ resumed on Feb 21, only the leaders will be marching towards the national capital.

“We have decided that no farmer, youth will march forward. Leaders will march ahead. We will not attack our Jawans. We will go peacefully. All this can be ended if they (central govt) make a law on MSP,” Sarwan Singh Pandher said while speaking to ANI.

Also, addressing the protesting farmers, he appealed to move forward peacefully. After the fourth round of talks ended in a stalemate, the farmers resumed their March on Wednesday morning.

On February 19, the farmer leaders rejected the Centre’s proposal on MSP purchase, saying “not in farmer’s favour”.

“After the discussion of both forums, it has been decided that if you analyse, there is nothing in the government’s proposal. Our government imports palm oil worth Rs 1.75 crore from outside that also causes illness to general public. If this money is given to the farmers of the country to grow oil seed crops and MSP is announced, then that money can be used here. This is not on the favour of farmers. We reject it,” farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal said.

Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda, who is also negotiating with farmer leaders, urged the protesters to cooperate and communicate so that common people should not have to suffer and said that in the formation of new laws, there are so many things to consider that the government wants to discuss with the farmer organisations.

Arjun Munda told ANI that the government has assured them (farmers) that all the works of administrative nature will be fast-tracked.

“I would like to urge all the leaders from different farmers’ organisations to cooperate and communicate so that the common people shouldn’t have to suffer. The government is determined in this regard. We have assured them that all the works of administrative nature will be fast-tracked. But in the formulation of new laws, there are so many things to consider. In the coming days, we want to discuss with the farmers’ organisations and look for any possible solutions,” he said.

He further said that the government is completely ready to find a solution through dialogue, but the farmer’s organisations, instead of solving the problems, are only adding to them.

“The way things are being said by (farmer) organisations and how instead of solving the problems, they are trying to add to those problems, is creating difficulties for the people. I would request all the farmer organisations to take initiatives that can strengthen a way to solve the problem and to find a solution through dialogue, the government is completely ready for it,” he added.

On whether any new committee will be formed for talks with the farmers, Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda said that, as far as forming the committee is concerned, we have said that the administrative work will be executed at a fast pace and we will provide it to the people.

“We want to give full assurance that the government is not lagging in this. We will execute and are doing so, but when it comes to making laws, it is important to keep in mind all such subjects that do not pose any difficulty, and whatever we want to do should be done in a good manner. We need to discuss whether it is for the good,” Arjun Munda said.

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor took a dig at the Modi government over its handling of the farmers protest . The three- time Lok Sabha MP,  while speaking to ANI said , “It’s a democratic right of the farmers to protest and come and be heard in the National capital. I don’t think the border with China is fortified the way this city is fortified. The government should have learnt a lesson from the previous farmers’ agitation- consult the stakeholders. Last time it took a year-long agitation before the government surrendered and withdrew…,”.

Earlier, Haryana Police lobbed tear gas shells at farmers from Punjab at Shambhu border between the two states as thousands of protesters stayed put there on Wednesday, the second day of their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march.

There was a similar standoff at Data Singhwala-Khanauri border in Haryana’s Jind district, with Haryana Police barricades stopping farmers from travelling to Delhi on their tractor-trolleys.